Shorts-dropping antics,  a thing of the past
Brazilian pair Diego and Robinho promised on Tuesday that pranks such as their notorious shorts-dropping episode are now over.
Diego, who has had an outstanding season for Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga, and Real Madrid forward Robinho are both expected to figure prominently in Brazil's Copa America campaign. Both players have been given a chance to shine in the absence of Ronaldinho and Kaka, who said they were too tired to play.
Robinho and Diego burst on to the scene as teenagers when they played for the Santos team who won the Brazilian championship in 2002 but two years later, they were made the scapegoats when Brazil failed to qualify for the Olympic Games.
At a qualifying tournament in Chile, the pair were accused of over-confidence after Diego was photographed pulling down Robinho's shorts as they waited for their credentials.
"I don't think our generation has a debt with Brazil, but it was very negative for us," Diego said after training on Tuesday. "We are stronger and more mature and we know about our responsibility." Robinho agreed with his former club team-mate. "It's the time for our generation...I know that if Brazil don't do well, the criticism will rain down upon me. We are more mature and have more experience after playing for European teams."

Lock Grewcock loses ban appeal
Bath lock Danny Grewcock has lost his appeal against a six-week ban that includes the start of England's Rugby World Cup defence.
Grewcock was suspended from August 4 to September 15 after being found guilty of punching Clermont lock Thibault Privat in last month's European Challenge Cup final. An independent appeal committee ‘found that there had been no error on the part of the original committee's decision and dismissed the appeal,’ European Rugby Cup said in a statement.

Sports minister’s concerns about EPL going foreign
British sports minister Richard Caborn will hold talks with senior English soccer administrators to discuss concerns over the increase of foreign owners at top clubs throughout the country, a spokesman said. "Richard Caborn will meet English Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore, English FA chairman Geoff Thompson and Football League chairman Lord Mawhinney for talks,” his spokesman said.
The meeting comes as Manchester City look set to become the latest English top-flight club to be bought by a foreign investor. Former Thai Premier Thaksin Shinawatra has launched a 81.6 million pounds ($163.1 million) bid for the Premier League club, and should he succeed, eight of the Premier League's 20 clubs will be in the hands of foreign owners.